Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

testy

/ˈtɛsti/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.54 in modern English

Syllables: testy
IPA: /ˈtɛsti/

8

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Easily annoyed, irritable.

adj

Marked by impatience or ill humor.

Example Sentences

"He made testy remarks."
"Otherwise, we could end up with a repeat of what happened with social media companies after the 2016 election — a collision of Silicon Valley power and Washington ignorance, which resulted in nothing but gridlock and testy hearings."

Etymology

Middle English testif (“headstrong”), from Old French testu, from teste (“head”) + -u. Compare modern French tête (“head”), têtu (“stubborn”).

Inflected Forms

testier (comparative) testiest (superlative)

Derived Forms

testily testiness untesty

Frequently Paired Words

heady teston

Synonyms

touchy tetchy cranky fractious irritable nettlesome peevish peckish pettish petulant scratchy techy

Homonyms

teste

Rhymes With

estee presti esty lopresti estey agresti uresti bestie zesty chesty westie westy

Questions

How do you pronounce testy?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtɛsti/.
What does testy mean?: Easily annoyed, irritable.
Where does testy come from?: Middle English testif (“headstrong”), from Old French testu, from teste (“head”) + -u. Compare modern French tête (“head”), têtu (“stubborn”).

How to pronounce testy

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “testy”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈtɛsti/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “testy”.
Repeat and practice — Say “testy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.